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2001-04-09City of Beverly, Massachusetts Public Meeting Minutes BOARD: Open Space and Recreation Committee SUBCOMMITTEE: DATE: April 9, 2001 PLACE: Beverly Public Library COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT: David Gardner (Chairman), Kathern Tracey, Richard Baker, Kathleen Skrabut, Cindy Modugno, Bill Squibb, Anthony Paluzzi, Guido Lauranzano, Ellen Flannery ABSENT:Charles Raymond, Robert Buchsbaum OTHERS PRESENT: Planning Director Tina Cassidy, Scott Houseman and Tim Purinton (Mass. Audubon Society) RECORDER: Jeannine Dion Gardner calls the meeting to order at 7:10 p.m. Finalize the Open Space and Recreation Plan Cassidy distributes Section 8 (Goals and Objectives) and Section 9 (Five Year Action Plan) to the members for discussion. The members review Sections 8 and 9 and make revisions. Paluzzi: Motion to accept Sections 8 and 9 as revised, seconded by Flannery. All members in favor.- Motion canies. Cassidy states she will send revised copies of Sections 6 and 7 to the members for review and comment before the public hearing on the 23rd. Community Preservation Act (CPA) At the last meeting a motion was passed to form an adhoc subcommittee to explore, with the affordable housing and historic preservation groups, the Community Preservation Act (CPA). Gardner asks Baker and Tracey to report back to the group. Baker states he spoke with a couple of people from the Beverly Historical Society. He spoke with Jack Murray, who agreed with the need to protect and enhance historical, open space and housing, but did not agree with the CPA. He thinks the CPA is seriously flawed and is a political Open Space and Recreation Committee Minutes April 9, 2001 Page 2 compromise attempt to invest in a lot of different interests. Murray believes the Mayor has to recommend it to the City Council for consideration and is not sure what the Mayor's position is on the subject. Baker states he also spoke with Doreen Ushakoff, President of the Beverly Historical Society and she did not think the CPA was going to go anywhere now. Gardner asks if the Beverly Historical Society has any projects that could benefit from CPA funds. Baker responds that neither Murray nor Ushakoff indicated that they have any such projects and they believe the public may think there are other higher priorities for tax increases. Tracey states she spoke with Don Preston. He expressed interest but wants to speak with the Mayor before going any further. He stressed the need for community support and will only go forward if there is community support. Cassidy states she received an E mail from Preston asking for information on the CPA. Cassidy states there is a lot of importance being placed on the Mayor's individual opinion. She states her read of the CPA is if the community wants it, then you have to work to assist the petition and get it on the ballot, whether or not the chief elected official supports it. Modugno recomruemls conducting a joint meeting with the affordable housing and historic preservation groups. State Representative Mike Cahill offers to meet with the subcommittee or have someone from EOEA to explain some of the variables. There are creative ways to look at it, however the history of Proposition 2 ½ makes it a tough sell. Gardner asks Cahill to work with Cassidy to get the three groups together and provide information and insight on the CPA. Discussion of Committee Organization -Subcommittees Gardner states he drafted potential subcommittee goals for consideration. He asks the members to review the draft for discussion in greater detail at the next meeting. Open Space and Recreation Plan Public Hearing Cassidy informs the members that the next Master Plan Workshop is devoted to Residential Development and Open Space. It is scheduled to take place on April 19, 2001. The Open Space and Recreation Plan Public Hearing is scheduled to take place on April 23, 2001. Open Space and Recreation Committee Minutes April 9, 2001 Page 3 Scoff Houseman Presentation - Conservation Subdivision Design Gardner introduces Scott Houseman, Chairman of the Zoning Board of Appeals who would like to present material regarding conservation subdivisions. Houseman states this is something he believes in strongly. It is not an answer to development but it is a tool to help any community that decides to adopt it, to shape what is inevitable development in a way that enables preserving the special places in the community. He hopes the Open Space and Recreation Committee will endorse the idea and recommend to the City Council and Planning Board that an open space or conservation subdivision ordinance be adopted in Beverly. He will be making a presentation to the Conservation Commission and the Planning Board and hopes to get the endorsement of the definition so that there is a sense, by the time it gets to City Council, that the city agencies/committees that are involved with this subject matter have support. There is a hope that this committee will see fit to have a general statement of endorsement or recommendation that the city adopt a conservation subdivision ordinance. Housemam introduces Tim Purinton, the Community Outreach Coordinator from the Massachusetts Audubon Society. Purinton is working with the towns of Ipswich, Rowley, Georgetown and Gloucester adopting Open Space Bylaws and conservation subdivision ordinances. Purinton states it is possible to integrate a conservation subdivision bylaw into a Master Plan. The degree to which you integrate it is variable. In Ipswich, for example, they have a similar style bylaw, but the Open Space Committee plays a very active role in the process of conservation subdivision design and gets to weigh in, to a certain extent, on the way the open space is configured. Purinton's presentation gives an introduction and overview to conservation subdivision ordinances. It is a collaborative effort to look at the way cities and towns do development and see if there is a way to protect the resources in our communities that are valuable. The highlights of the preservation: · The traditional way of dividing land consumes large tracts of land. · Mass. Audubon and other conservation organizations have an interest in conservation subdivisions because it is seen as a way to protect agricultural, shellfish beds, habitat, recreation and cultural/historical landscapes. · Open space residential design comes from Randall Arendt, a Planner, who worked primarily in Pennsylvania. · The open space residential design puts the permit up front (with conditions), which allows the applicant to feel more comfortable with the process. · Four step design process: 1) Set aside the primary (wetlands) and secondary resources (areas that have some value: i.e. trees, store walls, meadows, etc.), 2) locate house sites Open Space and Recreation Committee Minutes April 9, 2001 Page 4 3) Align roads and trails 4) draw lot lines. In a conventional design process, usually the roads come first, the lots lines come second, then houses, etc. · A model bylaw was put together so communities can look at it and use it as a tool to determine what parts of the bylaw are best suited to the community. · What determines eligibility? Different communities can choose different ways to determine eligibility. For example: acreage, minimum number of lots, based on configuration of development (i.e. cul-de-sacs have to proceed with this process), specific zones, etc. · Applicant has to provide a yield plan, sketch plan and project narrative up front. · Applicant has to provide a concept plan, which is a "lightly engineering sketch plan" with site generalizations and determination of yield. The plan becomes integral to the special permit, which is the "insurance policy" for the project. If the project changes significantly from the concept plan to the definitive plan, you can reopen the special permit discussion based on the changes. · What will open space become? Promote contiguousness to reduce habitat fragmentation; integrate recreational aspect, location of infrastructure; how to use the open space must he determined. · Towns may integrate bonuses into the open space residential design to encourage developers to use it or create affordable housing. · Promotes creative partnerships. · Streamlined so that it is not cumbersome. · Conservation values. Houseman presents an example of a proposed subdivision on an 80 acre parcel in Ipswich Ipswich pushed the developer to go toward an open space plan. The developer came up with a plan, which was sent back for further revision. The final plan preserved 36 acres of natural features (almost half of the parcel). Houseman shows a videotape featuring Jim Robins, Planning Director in Westborough. Robins details examples of conservation subdivisions built in Westborough. Houseman asks members if they have any questions. Members express support for the concept. Squibb asks what it would take to get a conservation subdivision bylaw implemented in Beverly. Houseman responds that it will take a lot of work. He is scheduled to make presentations to the Planning Board and City Council and hopes to get endorsement from city boards and committees. Flannery: Motion to adjourn, seconded by Paluzzi. All members in favor, no one opposed. Motion carries. The meeting adjourns at 9:35 p.m.